LAST year's Aintree and Scottish Grand National winning jockey, Graham Lee, was the star of the show at Sedgefield yesterday, riding a near 15-1 double aboard Top Style and Super Sammy.

Ingelby Barwick-based Lee first booted home spring-heeled Super Sammy, who produced some really prodigious leaps to take the opening Gosforth Decorating Beginners' Chase.

Although Lee's mount was a convincing winner, Super Sammy would have had more on her plate in the two-mile-five-furlong contest had not the leader, Green Ideal, described by Ferdy Murphy as "the unluckiest horse I've ever trained", departed at the fifth fence from the finish.

Howard Johnson's Top Style completed Graham's good afternoon when he forged clear of the opposition in the Betcall-sponsored Novices' Handicap Hurdle.

"It was a bad race and this is level, but he did do it nicely," revealed the successful trainer's representative, Ray Hawkey.

The Sue and Harvey Smith combo have a great record on their visits to the course and once again they were on the mark with all-the-way-winner, Corlande,

The hot 5-4 favourite quickened away in the back straight and then found sufficient late reserves to fend off the last-gasp challenge emerging from Piraeus.

Veteran Newcastle handler, Bob Johnson, and his son, Kenny, finally hit bulls-eye with Jaccout, the runaway pillar-to-post winner of the two-mile-and-one-furlong Handicap Hurdle.

Jaccout, a more-than-useful jumper in his native France where he picked up four races in all over timber, had until now been a bitter disappointment since crossing the English Channel.

"Jaccout's been with us for two years and his original owner, Alan Kidd, gave up and passed him on to me 18 months ago. That's the second time he's run well here and the gelding does seem to like soft ground," reported Johnson snr.

Jockey Sean Fox, the rider wrongly accused of deliberately falling off Ice Saint at Fontwell in March 2004, ended a 391-day drought when partnering Ghadames to victory for Richard Guest in the Wares Teesside Handicap Chase.

Sadly for punters it was mainly the bookies shouting for shock 22-1 scorer in the closing bumper race, won by the locally-trained newcomer, Jeringa, from John Wade's Aycliffe stable.

* Well Chief is odds-on to beat Azertyuiop in a fascinating rematch in Saturday's totescoop6 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury.

Coral make Well Chief an 8-11 chance to gain revenge for a short-head beating in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown before Christmas.

The pair finished second and third behind Moscow Flyer, with Azertyuiop just inching it for the runner-up spot.

Get more on racing at our Racing North site.